Numbers 14:6
in Numbers 14Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes:
KJV
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
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This verse in Numbers 14
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown
on Numbers 14:5-6
Four men act while the nation shouts, and they act in two different ways. Moses and Aaron go face down before the assembly, which is the posture of men interceding. Joshua and Caleb rend their clothes, which is the sign of a death or a blasphemy heard.
This site's exposition
tore their clothes
Joshua is named with Caleb here, though Caleb had spoken alone at Numbers 13:30. Both speak as eyewitnesses of the land. Barnes notes that Caleb and Moses had each already tried to recall the people.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 197: “The Spies” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1858)
proposed
THE UNBELIEF OF THE CHILDREN of Israel, prompted them to send spies into Canaan. God had told them that it was a good land, and he had promised to drive out their enemies, they ought therefore to have marched forward with all confidence to possess the promised heritage. Instead of this, they send twelve princes to spy out the land, and “alas, for human nature,” ten of these were faithless, and only two true to the Lord. Read over the narrative, and mark the ill effect of the lying message, and the holy boldness of the true spies.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 197: “The Spies” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1858)
proposed
THE UNBELIEF OF THE CHILDREN of Israel, prompted them to send spies into Canaan. God had told them that it was a good land, and he had promised to drive out their enemies, they ought therefore to have marched forward with all confidence to possess the promised heritage. Instead of this, they send twelve princes to spy out the land, and “alas, for human nature,” ten of these were faithless, and only two true to the Lord. Read over the narrative, and mark the ill effect of the lying message, and the holy boldness of the true spies. Now I must take up my parable. The land of Canaan is a picture of religion; I do not think it was ever intended to be a picture of heaven, for there are no Canaanites in heaven, certainly in heaven there are no sons of Anak, no giants to be driven out, no walled cities, and no kings with chariots of iron. Canaan is, however, a very excellent picture of religion. The children of Israel must stand this morning as the representatives of the great mass of mankind. The great mass of mankind never try for themselves what religion is; they neither search our sacred books, nor taste and try our religion. But this is what they do; they consider those who make a profession of religion as spies who have entered the land, and they look upon our character and our conduct as the message which we bring back to them. The ungodly man does not read his Bible in order to discover whether the religion of Christ is holy and beautiful, no, he reads the living Bible—Christ’s church—and if the church is inconsistent he condemns the Bible, though the Bible is never to be accountable for the sins of those who profess to believe it.
And Joshua, etc. - See on Num 13:33 (note).
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ | vihoshua' | and Joshua | H3091 → | 218 times |
| בִּן־ | bin- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| נ֗וּן | nun | Nun | H5126 → | 30 times |
| וְכָלֵב֙ | vekhalev | and Caleb | H3612 → | 35 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יְפֻנֶּ֔ה | yefuneh | Jephunneh | H3312 → | 16 times |
| מִן־ | min- | one of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַתָּרִ֖ים | hatarim | those [who] spied out | H8446 → | 24 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| קָרְע֖וּ | kareu | they tore | H7167 → | |
| בִּגְדֵיהֶֽם׃ | bigdeihem | clothes their | H899 → | 217 times |
וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַand Joshua
vihoshua'H3091 →218 times
בִּן־[the] son of
bin-H1121 →4930 times
נ֗וּןNun
nunH5126 →30 times
וְכָלֵב֙and Caleb
vekhalevH3612 →35 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
יְפֻנֶּ֔הJephunneh
yefunehH3312 →16 times
מִן־one of
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַתָּרִ֖יםthose [who] spied out
hatarimH8446 →24 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
קָרְע֖וּthey tore
kareuH7167 →
בִּגְדֵיהֶֽם׃clothes their
bigdeihemH899 →217 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 13:30Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”
it leads to
- Numbers 14:24
But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Psalms 60:12
With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.
- Numbers 14:6–9
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
- Numbers 14:24
Through
Numbers 13:6from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
it leads to
- Numbers 34:19
These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;
- Joshua 14:6–15
Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about…
- Numbers 34:19
Through
Genesis 37:29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
it leads to
- Job 1:20
Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
- Job 1:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies14
On this chapter
About Numbers
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonConquestJoshuaMoses' minister and successor, one of the two faithful spies; he led Israel across Jordan, around Jericho, and through the conques…
- PersonWilderness / ConquestCalebOf Judah, one of the twelve spies — the man of another spirit who wholly followed Jehovah; one of only two of the census generatio…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 197: “The Spies” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.